Shloka 7
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
शपे सात्वत पुत्राभ्यामिष्टेन सुकृतेन च । अनतीतामिमां रात्रि यदि त्वां वीरमानिनम्
śape sātvata-putrābhyām iṣṭena sukṛtena ca | anātītām imāṁ rātriṁ yadi tvāṁ vīra-māninam ||
Sañjaya said: “I swear by the two sons of the Sātvata (Kṛṣṇa), and by the merit of my sacrifices and good deeds: if you truly deem yourself a hero, then let this night not pass (without your proving it).”
सयजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how appeals to honor and self-image (“you who think yourself a hero”) are used to compel action, and how oaths invoke sacred persons and personal merit to intensify moral pressure—raising ethical questions about persuasion in wartime.
Sañjaya reports a forceful oath and challenge: invoking Kṛṣṇa’s sons and his own sacrificial merit, the speaker urges the addressed warrior to prove his claimed valor before the night passes.